


Gator Boy

by Ein_Nachkussen



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alligators, Cute, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Meet the Family, Romance, southern
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 20:44:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14340561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ein_Nachkussen/pseuds/Ein_Nachkussen
Summary: Arthur flies to Louisiana to meet his internet-boyfriend, Alfred, for the first time, as well as his eccentric southern family. Arthur realises just how different his life is compared to Alfred's, especially when it comes to Alfred's love of dangerous reptiles.





	Gator Boy

Arthur almost couldn’t believe that the day had come, he waited patiently in the daunting line to leave customs with his suitcase rolling beside him and his heart in his throat. He knew that Alfred was waiting for him in the arrivals area, Arthur messaged him as soon as he connected to the airport Wi-Fi.

He was tired, he was hungry, and he really needed to stretch, but those complaints weren’t the biggest thing on Arthur’s mind – he was about to meet Alfred properly, he will be able to see his boyfriend in person. For two months, they were no longer going to be confined to the screen and at the mercy of the internet connection, Arthur was going to finally be able to hold Alfred and see him in perfect quality…

He finally made it to the front of the line, and showed the officer his approved slip from customs, and after one quick word, Arthur had passed through, he was official done with all checks and lines. Now free to make it outside, Alfred couldn’t stop smiling as he pushed his suitcase up the slight ramp while making his way to the arrivals area, where he could see people gathering outside, waiting for their loved ones: like Alfred.

As he got closer and closer, Arthur had a slight skip in his step, barely able to hold himself back from sprinting. His heartrate rose more with every step, knowing that after months of planning and even longer of saving money for this, Arthur was finally in America, and he was finally going to be able to hug Alfred in person…

Finally, out in the light, Arthur’s mouth hung slightly open as he kept with the flow of traffic, walking by the barrier between the arrivals and the people waiting for them. Arthur was looking for him, looking for Alfred’s face, longing for him even. He couldn’t believe that he was in America, looking for Alfred, the two met on a discord server for an online game they played, and quickly they became friends, and then, after a year of speaking online, and Alfred confessed that he liked Arthur as more than a friend. That was seven months ago, and since that moment, both young men spoke to each other every night, either through an online messenger service, or they talked on video chat. Each chat only left Arthur longing to see Alfred face to face. Alfred had taken Arthur’s hesitation over long-distance relationships, and squashed it. 

 _“Arthur!”_ Arthur heard, and instantly Arthur’s head snapped to the direction of this noise, his heart racing as he stopped in the middle of the walkway. _“Arthur!”_

Then, blue eyes met green from across the barrier, and Arthur’s world slowed down, as Alfred became the clearest thing in Arthur’s vision.

 _“Oh my God…”_ Arthur whispered, before suddenly breaking into a run, determined to not let his suitcase slow him down, he had only a short distance left until he reaches the opening, and looking across the barrier again, he watched Alfred struggle to keep up with him, passing more waiting people as he raced to meet Arthur at the finish line.

Gasping, Arthur’s smile widened as he passed the barrier and turned out of the walkway and right into Alfred’s arms, where Arthur was immediately blinded by the warmth of Alfred’s jacket.

“Oh my God, you’re so small!” Alfred gasped, before laughing as he tightly squeezed Arthur.  

“Oh shush!” Arthur grumbled, quickly wrapping his arms around Alfred, not wanting admit that he was surprised by how tall Alfred was. Arthur happily nuzzled himself into Alfred’s chest and his warm clothes, not caring about the bustling airport around them. One of the first things that Arthur registered was Alfred’s scent, manly and perhaps of even cinnamon scented body spray, as well as the pungent aroma of his woollen shirt.

 _“You’re actually here…”_ Alfred whispered, as Arthur could feel the heat of Alfred’s breath on top of his head. _“Oh my God…”_

“I bet you’re happy to know that you weren’t catfished,” Arthur chuckled, pulling himself out of Alfred’s chest, and back far enough so he could finally get a good look at the Americans face. Once again, Arthur was taken aback by Alfred, he was once again better than the Englishman had expected. The webcam did not do any justice to Alfred’s shining baby blue eyes, strong jaw and perfect complexion. He was far more handsome in person than Arthur anticipated, and left him desperately hoping that he was somewhat at least what Alfred was expecting—Arthur was already shorter than Alfred was expecting, what else about Arthur had surprised him?

“If anything, you should have been the one praying you’re not gettin’ catfished,” Alfred chuckled, his accent sending a chill down Arthur’s spine, Lord, he definitely sounded better in person. “God, I’m so damn happy you’re finally here.”

“Me too,” Arthur replied, and he was about to go further, but he was interrupted by a deep yawn.

“Aww, long flight?” Alfred cooed, “Come on, let’s get you to the truck, we got about an hour drive back to St Tammany.”

And then, Alfred let go of Arthur and them immediately tried to help the Englishman with his suitcase and one back-pack, to which Arthur protested, “It’s ok, I’ve got it.”

“No, no, it’s fine. You look like your ‘bout to fall asleep, and you’re the guest, hell, I’d carry you too if I could. What time is it in London now?” Alfred asked as he managed to push Arthur’s suitcase to his side, as he wrapped his other arm around Arthur’s shoulder, holding him close as the couple made their way out of the arrivals terminal. 

“Hmm,” Arthur sighed as he took out his phone, “Around eleven-pm. Not too late, but flying just makes me exhausted, I didn’t get a blink of sleep the entire time…”

“Yeah, ain’t it fun? You can nap in the truck or back home if you need to.” Alfred chuckled, stopping Arthur before crossing the road, instinctually, Arthur looked in the opposite direction to Alfred, which immediately made the American laugh, “Oh Lord, you’ll have to get used to the road! My Grandpa on mom’s side used to live near Disneyland Orlando and he said ‘the only people who get hit by cars around ‘ere are British, Australian or Japanese!’ I gotta keep you by me for the first few days.”

“You’d have to keep me on a leash, eh?” Arthur chuckled, only to freeze when he caught a glimpse of the look in Alfred’s eyes. Like Alfred was suddenly thinking about all of the promises they made in their chats, the promises of love and passion—How fireworks will set off between them when they _finally_ met face to face, and finally had the time alone to make good on their sweet deals. “Oh, calm down, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Ha-ha,” Alfred chuckled, holding onto Arthur tightly as they crossed the street with a group of more people holding luggage or their loved ones who’ve come home, or are visiting, like in Arthur’s case. “Can’t blame a guy. At home, we’re still getting together the sleeping arrangements—Just holler if you wanna take my room, but mom’s thinkin’ that the fold-out bed in the living room may work, cause it’d give you more space, and the TV. But we’re just concerned about the noise and light.”

“Honestly, I’m fine with anything, you don’t need to fuss over me,” Arthur sighed as Alfred guided him through the maze of a car park, where Arthur was left surprised by the smallest of differences between here and home. Everything from the colour of the number plates to the sheer size of some of the cars left Arthur in awed-curiosity, just like a child on their first visit to the zoo. America was already fascinating him, and he had only been outside the airport for a few minutes.  

“Oh, I’m gonna fuss over you,” Alfred chuckled, before clicking on the keys to his car, where then the lights to a red pick-up truck flickered on in response, and the car beeped slightly as the doors unlocked. The tires and bottom half of the exterior coat were painted in clay and mud, telling of what kind of adventures Alfred and his family must have gotten up to in it throughout the years. Arthur had never been in a truck before, let alone a car that he had to use a step to get into, but once again, the littlest things had Arthur buzzing with curiosity and awe.

Arthur got into the passenger side of the car, after nearly walking over to the wrong side, and he looked through the back window to watch Alfred climb into the cargo bed of the truck to secure Arthur’s suitcase into the back. But as he watched, Arthur couldn’t help but note that some parts of the back of the cargo bed had mud in it, and one very telling footprint…

 _“Alright, let’s roll!”_ Alfred cheered as he jumped into the drivers’ seat and revved the engine, “We’ve got about an hour drive from New Orleans to St Tammany, so I don’t mind if you wanna have a lil’ nap. I texted mom that we’re on our way back, and she’s just started cooking jambalaya for you.”

 _“I’m sorry, jambaly-what?”_ Arthur asked, frowning as Alfred laughed while driving out of the carpark, and onto the bus, traffic riddled streets around the airport, but despite the insane number of cars, they were moving along fairly well.

“It’s a dish that’s pretty much meat, vegetables, spices and rice—it’s really good, it’s pretty popular ‘round here,” Alfred explained, “Are you good with food that has a lil’ kick?”

“Yes, that’s fine,” Arthur replied, smiling as the trucks engine grumbled as Alfred sped up, driving along the wide road. Everything about this world was so different to what Arthur was used to, there was so much space between each property, the roads were wide and every patch of grass was so lusciously green. Being Alfred’s definition of a city-boy, Arthur wasn’t used to seeing so much greenery, and it was really interesting for Arthur to see so many trees, fields or forests, which only became more and more frequent as Alfred drove further away from inner New Orleans.

“I’m just—I couldn’t sleep at all last night, I was so excited,” Alfred admitted, “I’ve got a whole list of things I want us to do together, all the places I wanna take you and everthin’ I want you to see, good thing we have a whole two months to do it.”  

“Awww,” Arthur chuckled, “It’s been a long time coming.”

“Definitely,” Alfred sighed, “So many sleepless nights spent chattin with you… Hah, I remember bein’ so dang nervous when I told my family that I hadn’t met you in person, I thought they were gonna flip their shit—well, they kinda did until we did that chat with the webcam. Mom is so excited to meet you.”

“I know, I was given shit too about that, Allistor was like ‘God, are none of the gays in London good enough for you?’ and I just about smacked him,” Arthur explained.

“The second I told Amy about you, she was tryna convince me that I was gettin’ catfished! She even drafted a damn email to fuckin MTV’s Catfished!” Alfred exclaimed.

“Oh my God _, did she?!”_ Arthur asked, “Can I see it?!”

“I don’t think she still has it, the second she saw you on skype she stopped trolling me about the catfishing thing,” Alfred explained, and instantly, Arthur remembered the look on the face of Alfred’s little sister when he first spoke to her during one of the couple’s many skype sessions. Now her surprised face made so much more sense. Thinking back on it with this new perspective made Arthur want to chuckle—now he definitely couldn’t wait to see Alfred’s family face to face. “Oh, and just to warn you, Babs’ll be all over you the second you get through the door.”

“Awwwww,” Arthur cooed, knowing that Alfred was talking about his dog, a catahoula with an insatiable appetite for cuddles and attention. “I can’t wait.”

“Like, Babs’ breed is a huntin’ breed, but she’s too damn nice to be a huntin’ dog!” Alfred chuckled, as he started to pat the padded steering wheel to the beat of the song, “Like, there’ll be a squirrel up in the tree in the backyard, and she’ll just sit there and stare at it!”

“Oh, what a sweetheart,” Arthur cooed.

“Oh yeah, she’s gonna be obsessed with you, especially when you sit on the couch—there’s this one spot on the couch that if you sit there, and call her over, she just jumps on the couch and starts nuzzling her face into your lap! It’s so darn cute,” Alfred explained, “Aaah, that dog is my baby, you’re gonna love her.”

“I’m so excited!” Arthur replied, sinking into the comfy old car seat, loving how warm and tattered fabric felt against his back, and how easily he could just sink into it. “Oh God, I just can’t believe I’m here…”

“Me too, I’m so happy you’re here,” Alfred admitted, and once he reached the first of what was going to be many highways, Alfred reached down and touched Arthur’s hand. Arthur kept his head down, so Alfred wouldn’t be able to see just how much he was blushing. Arthur pressed his head into the seat, trying his best to hide it. “Gosh, you’re too darn cute.”

 _“Aaah!”_ Arthur grumbled, squeezing on tightly to Alfred’s hand, before easily letting it go when Alfred had to put both of his hands on the wheel.

“I know I wanna hold your hand for the whole ride, but safety first,” Alfred chuckled.

Oh God, he’s so adorable… Arthur glanced up at him as he made himself comfortable in the car seat, angling himself so he could rest his head, and keep his perfect view of Alfred’s face, so he could see the way Alfred bit his lip whenever he wanted to concentrate. Although, Arthur was upset that he couldn’t see Alfred’s eyes because of the bridge of his glasses. But he could still see out the back-passenger window, where he saw the world go by. But as he rested his head and found himself in a comfortable position, his eyes just kept getting heavier and his mind became fuzzier. And for a while, he was thinking that if he fell asleep, he’d wake up back in England… But it just became too hard for Arthur to keep his eyes open, and not even the sight of Alfred driving could keep his focus.

But as Arthur started to doze off, he was awoken by Alfred’s voice, “Hey, you’re gonna want to see this, we’re driving over the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.”

“Hm?” Arthur murmured, not realising that he had fallen asleep. “Wha…?”

“Awwwww, did I wake you?” Alfred cooed as Arthur readjusted his position in his seat, almost all of the bones in his back cracking from the sudden movement. But once Arthur looked out the passenger window, all of his stiffness disappeared and was replaced with wonder.

The stretch of highway seemed to go on forever, but while that alone was interesting, what caught Arthur’s attention was the fact that the endless highway was stretched along a magnificent lake. Instantly, Arthur was awake and sitting up straight so he could see out the window.

“Oh my God!” Arthur gasped, _“Oh my God!_ Holy Shit!!”

“Pretty, ain’t it?” Alfred asked, even chuckling when Arthur took out his phone and started to take photos of the landscape, mesmerised. The water seemed to stretch on forever and seemed so peaceful and blue, and seemed the stretch on forever. “Did you have a nice nap?” Alfred asked.

“How long have I been asleep?” Arthur asked.

“Well… Not long, I think you were out for around twenty minutes, I’ve been on the highway for ten, but I just couldn’t let you sleep through this sight…” Alfred explained, “Knew you’d like it.”

"Wow..." Arthur gasped, captivated by the sight. 

“We probably have around half-an-hour to forty minutes left before we make it home,” Alfred answered.

“Oh wow,” Arthur replied, before losing himself to the sight of the water again, “How can you ever get used to this?”

“Hah, I dunno, I only ever see it when I go to New Orleans…” Alfred explained as he started to tap the steering wheel again, “I’m thinking that maybe you and I could go to New Orleans while you’re here, I can show you around.”

“Ooh, I like the sound of that,” Arthur replied. Once again, Arthur found himself staring at Alfred again as the American drove, with that cool but dorky smile on his face. And so, Arthur lifted his phone and took a few more photos, getting a few nice shots of Alfred driving.

“What do you think you’re doin’?” Alfred chuckled, looking at Arthur momentarily and smiling so Arthur could then take another photo of him before he immediately returned his attention to the road.

“I want photos, I’ve got to show my parents that I’m alive and I’ve found you,” Arthur replied, avoiding looking at Alfred so there wasn’t a chance for him to see the pink pigment of Arthur’s cheeks.

The way Alfred was smiling when Arthur looked at him again made Arthur’s heart race… He almost still couldn’t believe that he was actually there, sitting across from the boy he met on the internet nearly two years ago… The boy who he spent countless nights staying up at night, talking on his phone underneath the blankets so he wouldn’t risk waking up his family and having to explain that he’s talking to a stranger to his traditional parents. It was sweet, and Arthur couldn’t help but smile a little bit as he rested his head again and readjusted where he sat, but this time his view was outside the window, where he watched the water pass by beneath the highway. Once again, Arthur felt that sinking feeling, as he felt himself getting heavier in the seat, and his eyes started getting heavier again. Before he knew it, he was too comfortable to even keep his eyes open any longer, and the jetlag finally got to him, and he was asleep in a matter of minutes.

\----

 _“Heeeey,_ time to get up, sleepy-head!” Alfred cooed, his voice brining Arthur back from his slumber, and Arthur’s eyes opened to reveal that the truck was parked in a driveway, and Arthur could see the view of a suburban street.  Arthur’s head was still numb, so it took a few moments for Arthur to realise that they’ve finally arrived at Alfred’s house, and the American was taking Arthur’s suitcase out from the back of the truck.

Once Arthur stepped out of the car, he was embraced by the warm, but humid spring air as he stretched his tense limbs, growling as he did so. _“Aaaaarh…”_

“Aww, still tired?” Alfred asked as he rolled Arthur’s suitcase from behind the truck, before placing his arm across Arthur’s shoulders and guiding him towards the front door, where the dog was already barking from inside the house. At this point, Arthur’s heart was in his stomach, would Alfred’s family like him as much in person as they seemed to over the internet? Would he and Alfred still get along as they did online? The arm over Arthur’s shoulder reassured him that everything was going to be ok, Alfred is still a sweet guy, and he’s not a catfish. Arthur took a deep breath when Alfred led him onto the wooden porch, which croaked with every step as the two young men made their way to the front door.

 _“We’re hooooome!!!”_ Alfred roared the second he and Arthur made it through the front door, and instantly, galloping echoed through the front hall as a _beast_ of a dog ran at the couple, with it’s tongue hanging from the side of it’s mouth. This must be Babs, Alfred’s family dog, she looked exactly the same as she did in photos and when Alfred showed her on video chat. The dog was very big, standing with her head reaching Arthur’s hipbone, she was mostly a cream colour, with an array of brown spots along her back and face. What Arthur couldn’t see through the photos and webcam, was just how happy she looked to see Alfred.

But as Alfred guessed, the dog immediately focussed her attention on Arthur, after receiving a pat on the head from Alfred, she immediately nuzzled her face into Arthur’s lap, nearly toppling the exhausted Englishman over.

“Hello!!” Arthur cooed as he lifted the dogs head out of his lap, and proceeded to pat her, but the dog _persisted_ , even as Alfred led Arthur further into the aging house.

“Hey pretty girl, let the poor guy breathe a little, kay?” Alfred cooed as he picked up the dog by her upper half, when stretched out, the dog was taller than Arthur, but Alfred moved her over like it was no trouble and let her down once the front door had closed. The floor was of dark wood, and the walls were a dirty white, Arthur guessed that this house must be generations old, but it still had an old-fashioned charm to it – Alfred did mention that his father grew up in this very house, and his grandparents both lived here with them before having to go into a care facility. Photos on the wall told the family’s story, and Arthur knew that he was going to have a proper investigation later, because he had more pressing matters to attend to.

“Hello, Arthur! So nice to finally meet you!!” A voice cooed the moment Arthur walked into the kitchen, which was filled with the nice scent of cooking spices. There was Jennifer, Alfred’s mother, standing by the stove, dressed in a simple button up shirt and pants. Arthur could see reflections of her in Alfred, especially in the way she opened her arms and brought Arthur in for a sweet hug.

“Yes! So nice to finally see you in person!” Arthur replied, returning the hug.

“Ooh, that _accent,_ it’s better in person!” Jennifer giggled, “Now, I’m just about to serve up lunch, Alfred told you what we’re having, right?”

“Umm…” Arthur murmured, “It’s something that starts with J, right?” Arthur asked, as Alfred encouraged him to sit on the chairs by the bench, muttering that he was going to put Arthur’s suitcase in the living room for him.

“Haha, yes, Jambalaya,” Jennifer chuckled, “It’s got some sausage, chicken, rice, peppers and tomatoes, it’s a favourite of Alfie’s.”

 _“Awwww,”_ Arthur cooed as Alfred twitched a little at the cute nickname, _“Alfie.”_

 _“Oh Lord,”_ Alfred muttered as he rolled his eyes, “Where’s dad and Amy?”

“Dad’s just picking her up from Cheerleading practice, they should be back in a few minutes,” Jennifer explained as she started to take five bowls out from a cupboard.

“Do you need any help?” Arthur asked, before chuckling down at Babs, who was still trying to lick Arthur’s fingers.

“Aww, you’re such a sweetheart, don’t you worry,” Jennifer replied as she started to serve the organise and red meal, “You’ve had a big flight, you need to eat up.”

“Oh yeah, he could barely stay awake for the drive home,” Alfred pointed out as he took the stool next to Arthur.

“Speaking of, the couch in the living room can fold out into a double bed, you are welcome to use that, but our only concern is the lighting and the noise. Or, you are welcome to use Alfred’s bedroom, and he can sleep out here,” Jennifer explained.

“I really don’t mind, I can sleep out here,” Arthur replied.

“Well, how about you give out here a go tonight, and if you wanna change, you can take my room,” Alfred suggested, “You’ll get a good sleep in that bed in the living room, you will sink right into it, it’s so good.”

“Oh, now I’m excited, but I think I will need to wait until it’s at least the evening before I go to bed. I want to try to get used to the time zone,” Arthur explained, before nodding when Jennifer placed a bowl of jambalaya in front of where Alfred and Arthur sat, “Thank you.”

“Thanks mom,” Alfred muttered.  

“WE’RE HOME!!” A young girls voice echoed through the house as Arthur noticed the front hall lighting up as the front door opened. “IS ARTHUR HERE?!”

“I SMELL JAMBALAYA!!” Another voice roared, this one belonging to a man.

Within a few seconds, a young girl walked into the kitchen, wearing a red, white and blue cheerleading uniform, but despite the bright colouring of her uniform, what stood out the most was her face, where Arthur could see that she looked just like Alfred, except with a softer jaw, smaller nose and wider eyes. She looked exactly like his female version, even down to her hair colour that was styled into a short but wavy cut, which perfectly framed her cute face and bright smile. This must be Amy, Alfred’s little sister.

 _“Arthur!”_ She cried, opening her arms to give Arthur a hug, whom hadn’t even had the time to get off his stool.

“Hi! It’s so nice to finally meet you!” Arthur cooed, squeezing the young girl in his arms.

“You’re finally here!” The man said as he entered the kitchen, sporting the signature Jones’ blonde hair and stunning blue eyes. Just by looking at his face, Arthur could immediately tell where Alfred and Amy got their looks, they were nearly carbon copies of their father, Fred.

“Hello, yes! Finally!” Arthur chuckled as he received a firm handshake from Fred, trying his hardest to not fall from the stool to the power of it. “It’s so nice to finally see all of you in person.”

With introductions done, everyone took their bowls and sat down at the circular dining table, which sat a few feet away from the kitchen and the bench that Alfred and Arthur were originally sitting on.

And after a few minutes of eating and small conversation, Fred admitted, “You know, when Alfred said that he had a boyfriend who lives in England, we told him that he was crazy.”

“Mm, my family told me the same,” Arthur admitted.

“We were thinkin’, _who the hell is tryna set up our boy?_ ” Fred admitted.

“You all thought that he was probably speaking to a forty-year old man, right?” Arthur chuckled.

“You’re not wrong,” Jennifer admitted, chuckling, “But honey, once we saw you on skype, we stopped the teasing.”

“No, you didn’t!” Alfred pointed out, earning chuckles from the others at the table. “Y’all gave me shit for _months!”_

“I still get shit from my brothers,” Arthur replied, “But, you know, we’ve got all of this technology that makes it so easy for people to be able to connect with each other using the internet. It really is an amazing thing. Alfred and I have so many mutual friends from all over the world.”

“Oh yeah, I’ve been able to speak to people who I haven’t seen since high school!” Fred admitted.

Then Jennifer smiled sweetly at Alfred and Arthur, “Honestly, we are glad that you two found each other—”

“Yeah, cause Alfred doesn’t shut up about you!” Amy interrupted.

 _“Amy!”_ Alfred hissed.

“Aw yeah, every other week it’s something new, _‘Arthur has this huge assignment for college, it’s a ten-page essay!’_ or _‘Look at the photos Arthur sent me from his trip to Scotland!’_ It’s so adorable,” Fred explained as Alfred’s head fell into his hands, and Arthur’s cheeks burned bright red, knowing that he does the exact same thing back in England, with his family. And he knew that his family would be doing the exact same thing if the situation was switched, and it would be far more embarrassing, knowing his older brothers.

Arthur looked over at Alfred, to see that Alfred had turned his head to look at him as it rested in his hands, shielding the crazy smile that screamed _‘help me’_ from his family.

\-----

Arthur still couldn’t believe where he was… It was too peaceful to be real, Arthur was lying with Alfred on his bed, where the American’s laptop was propped up on Alfred’s thighs and playing a movie off Netflix.

They were both so comfortable, they could have fallen asleep, if it weren’t for the tense atmosphere of the movie and terrifying plot, that left Alfred and Arthur clinging to each other harder than they liked to admit. Meanwhile Babs was already fast asleep in her dog bed, which sat at the foot of Alfred’s bed.

It was so weird for Arthur to be lying in the exact spot where he had seen Alfred laying whenever they video chatted before the American went to sleep. Alfred’s bedroom was small, but comfortable and was the perfect reflection of Alfred. His walls were decorated with photos, banners from his high school football team, and of course, the American flag, which Arthur always saw in the background whenever he video chatted with Alfred. His bed sat at the very end of the room, against the wall that had a wide window that looked out to the backyard, and beside it was a small bedside table, on the opposite side of the wall sat Alfred’s desk, which had his PC, and game consoles connected. Granted, Alfred admitted that he did a clean up before Arthur arrived, and by clean up, he just shoved all of his mess out of sight, which Arthur could easily tell was the case the second he entered the bedroom. Not like he cared about it, he was just happy to finally be in America, with Alfred.

Arthur sighed deeply as he adjusted himself slightly, bringing his arm to rest on Alfred’s bicep, feeling the warmth radiate from under his blue shirt, Arthur clung to him, like the American was some kind of hot water bottle. Arthur shifted his head quietly, pulling himself further onto the pillow to rest his head closer to Alfred’s.

“How’re you goin’?” Alfred asked, smiling down at Arthur as he stretched.

“Still a little bit tired…” Arthur admitted, turning over so he could see Alfred’s face better.

“Well, if you wanna sleep, I won’t blame you,” Alfred pointed out, “We should have a good hour or two before we have dinner. It’s Friday, and Friday is pizza night.”

“Hmm, I’m excited, I’ll go to bed after then,” Arthur replied, smiling at Alfred as he rolled to his side completely, lying against Alfred, “You’ll have to keep me up until then.”

“Is the move not doing it for you?” Alfred asked, cheekily smiling. His glasses had even become a little lopsided as he turned his head to look at Arthur. And by the smile on his face, Arthur could tell that the Americans heart was racing as fast as Arthurs. Perhaps they were both thinking the same thing… “I… I’m really glad you’re here…”

“I am too…” Arthur whispered, leaning further into eye contact with Alfred, so much so, that their noses were only inches apart. They’ve technically been together for seven months, but they’ve only physically been together for only a few hours, they’re touching each other for the first time, after all they’ve been able to do is talk and look at each other. Arthur was thinking about kissing him… And by the looks of things, Alfred was thinking it too…

 _“Ew, Alfred, don’t be gay with the door open,”_ Amy teased as she made her way past Alfred’s bedroom door.

 _“That’s it, AMY!!”_ Alfred roared as he rolled off the bed and sprinted out of the bedroom, which was followed by Amy’s screams of terror as Arthur heard the noises of Alfred chasing Amy through the house. _“I warned you!!”_

At this, Arthur just couldn’t help but chuckle as he laid on his back. Alfred and Amy’s relationship were like that of two children, despite Alfred being twenty-two and Amy being seventeen. She knew how to ruffle his feathers, and he knew it too, all she has to do is make an ill-timed jab at Alfred about anything, and that boy will launch at her and mess up her hair or tickle her in her weak spot, just like the older brother he is. Although, he has tamed a fair amount, Alfred admitted to Arthur once that when he was younger, he used to pin her down and threaten to spit on her until she cried.   

\---------

After dinner, Arthur made good on his word and immediately went to bed in the fold-out couch in the living room. Alfred was right, the bed was so comfortable, Arthur melted into the mattress the second he laid down and was asleep within minutes.

He didn’t remember dreaming about anything, he wasn’t even sure if he had actually slept, but the second Arthur opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded in darkness, minus the strong moonlight that seeped in through the thin curtains, giving a blue glow to the entire living room. Within minutes, Arthur’s eyes had adjusted enough so he could nearly see the entire room, now he understood why Jennifer and Alfred had pointed out that they were concerned about the light; Arthur could only imagine how bright this room will become when the sun comes up.  

 _“Shit…”_ Arthur hissed, lying flat on his back in the middle of the bed, feeling his entire body start to sink further into the fluffy mattress. He wasn’t going to sleep again, was he? He checked his phone and saw that it was nearly 2am, which means that he’s slept for a full seven hours. Out of curiosity, Arthur went online, and was surprised to see that Alfred was online.

 _‘Hey, are you awake?’_ Arthur messaged to Alfred, and within seconds, Arthur saw the typing icon coming from Alfred.

 _‘Yeah, have a nice sleep?’_ Alfred replied.

 _‘Like a rock, but now I don’t think I will go back.’_ Arthur admitted, _‘I’m sinking into this bed.’_

 _‘Sucks you in, don’t it?’_ Alfred replied, and Arthur could just imagine the smirk he would have had on his face when he sent that.

 _‘Oh yeah, right in the middle.’_ Arthur replied, _‘It’s so weird that I am actually here. We’re in the same house.’_

 _‘I know right.’_ Alfred replied, and Arthur watched as the typing icon appeared again, indicating that Alfred had more to say, but then suddenly, it stopped.

 _‘So, do you have any ideas about what to do tomorrow?’_ Arthur asked. He then waited about a minute, before hearing creaking coming from the kitchen, which was only one wall away from the living room. Then, through the archway, Arthur watched a figure sneak in, and the moon had offered enough light for Arthur to see who it was.

 _“Alfred…”_ Arthur chuckled quietly, moving over to give Alfred enough room to join Arthur in the bed.

 _“Hey…”_ Alfred whispered as he slid into the bed and underneath the blankets, _“I thought that, since we’re in the same house. Why don’t we talk face to face, huh?”_

 _“I do like the sound of that,”_ Arthur whispered, smiling as Alfred laid right next to him, clinging to Arthur’s warmth. “Did you see my message?”

“Hm?”

“I asked what we’re doing tomorrow,” Arthur pointed out.

“Oh, well, I gotta work for a few hours tomorrow, but thankfully I start in the morning, _when you should be sleeping,_ I asked Amy if she could take you to my work tomorrow so you can see what I do, see the shows and everything,” Alfred explained, “Then I should be done by the afternoon, so I’ll take you back here, or anywhere you like. Maybe I can take you out for lunch…”

“If you start so early, why are you awake now?” Arthur asked.

“I can’t sleep, I’m thinkin’ I’m too excited that you’re here,” Alfred admitted, and just by seeing his smile, Arthur could tell that Alfred was blushing.

 _“Mm, I’m glad I’m here too,”_ Arthur whispered, quickly wrapping his arms around Alfred.

“Aww, you wanna cuddle?” Alfred chuckled.

“Shut up,” Arthur grumbled, nuzzling himself into Alfred’s chest. Then suddenly, before Alfred and Arthur could get comfortable, the bed moved a little, and a figure made their way towards the couple.

“Aw shit, Babs!” Alfred hissed when Babs made her way to Alfred and Arthur’s faces, determined to lick them and get attention.

“Ah!” Arthur gasped, squirming away when Babs’ tongue caressed his ear.

 _“Babs! Babs, no! Oooff—She stood on big Jim and the twins!”_ Alfred whined. _“Fuck!”_  

“Oh my God…” Arthur whispered, on the verge of laughing when Babs fell on the bed with the grace of a sack of potatoes, wedging herself right in the middle of Alfred and Arthur.

 _“Fucking dog, you just had to pick the middle, didn’t cha, girl?”_ Alfred grumbled, before cooing as he patted his beloved dogs face, _“You’re a little shit, yes you are, yes you are.”_

“She’s like a big water bottle,” Arthur admitted as he started to pat the dog, feeling how warm she was.  “How’s the crotch?”

“I’ll be fine, she just stood on it for a second,” Alfred explained, wheezing a little, but he continued to pat the dogs stomach, “I don’t think she knows that she’s a really big dog. She’s got a big heart, but she’s a little bit thick in the head and gets easily excited. She’s still my big baby.” 

Arthur didn’t want to point out that they were literally cockblocked by a dog, but Arthur had already fallen too in love with said dog to blame her. And there was no way that Alfred was going to say it either.

But still, this didn’t stop Alfred and Arthur from talking until they were asleep. They spoke about their mutual online friends, about what they could do tomorrow and for the rest of Arthur’s time in America, they even spoke about what it will be like when Alfred visits England. It felt like they had spoken for hours until Alfred finally fell asleep, and it didn’t take long for Arthur to fall asleep after him.

\-----

“Just wait until you see the shit Al gets up to here,” Amy explained as she parked the truck.

Arthur managed to get nearly ten hours of sleep, why the hell was he feeling so damn tired?! Arthur felt barely conscious as he slid out of the truck and felt the rays of the Louisiana spring sun blanket Arthur’s entire body. He immediately regretted wearing his black jeans, but they were the only pants he really felt comfortable in. The weather forecast did predict weather in the mid-twenties, but then again, Amy was wearing short-shorts and a singlet top, so perhaps it was going to get even warmer, or the young girl wasn’t going to let the weather hinder her fashion sense.

Arthur had to admit, the car ride to the park where Alfred worked provided Arthur and Amy with the best conversation that they’ve ever had. Before coming to America, Arthur had only spoken to Amy a few times, however, he has always seen her loitering around in the background whenever Alfred and Arthur used facetime and Alfred wasn’t in his bedroom. She was always a kind girl, but now Arthur saw her in a new light, she was more than the little sister that Alfred complained about from time to time. She’s a dedicated cheerleader, anime fan and was determined to go to college to study engineering, despite the obstacles she faces. It was admirable.

Arthur had only heard about or seen photos of this place, the Honey Swap Alligator Park, where Alfred had been working for four years.

One thing about Alfred that Arthur immediately learned, was that Alfred was _obsessed_ with alligators. He lived and breathed alligators ever since he was young; his love for alligators and reptiles rivalled his love of food. It was sweet, really. At his work he had his favourite alligators, he knew them all by name and knew their attitudes like they were his own children. He cared for those beasts like they were his children too.

Amy quickly guided Arthur through the park, leading him along the wooden walkway which overlooked a swampland, which was filled to the brim with alligators. People stood on the bridge that overlooked the centre of the pool and looked over the edge in absolute awe, Arthur had never seen so many alligators in one place, hell, he’d never seen an alligator in person before.

“Alfred wants to show you around after he’s finished, so I’m afraid you’ve gotta wait!” Amy announced as she took Arthur by the arm and marched through the crowd, towing Arthur along for the ride. On his journey, Arthur caught glimpses of the private pens, and what beasts laid inside: huge alligators with rough scales, sharp teeth and the blackest eyes. Arthur already knew that he couldn’t wait for Alfred to give him a proper tour. But Arthur couldn’t help but wonder what Alfred was doing at that moment.

Alfred had told Arthur that recently he’s been promoted, and now not only does he get to feed the alligators, he gets to perform with them. Arthur hadn’t seen any photos of this yet, but from what Alfred described, it was an interesting but incredibly dangerous job. But it was something that Alfred loved to do, he could see the way that Alfred’s eyes lit up when he talked about it, even from behind the webcam.

The park seemed to be fairly crowded with families and groups of friends, who were all ogling at the alligators, but Amy kept leading Arthur past them and deeper into the park, until finally they reached some sort of seating area that overlooked a pool, where a rather large alligator laid in the water, as still as a terrifying statue. The seating area was a small set of wooden bleachers, the bleachers offered three levels of seating, and some teenagers had already taken up the space at the top.

“Come! Over here!” Amy cheered, dragging Arthur to the front of the bleachers, taking a seat right at the very front.

“Oh boy, here we go,” Arthur sighed, sitting nervously next to Amy, who had already begun to kick her legs in anticipation as more people gathered around the seating area.

“Yeah! This is gonna be so cool! Al really loves this job!” Amy exclaimed, “And this gator here is a real big one! Al loves this one! He’s gotta be startin’ soon!”

Before Arthur could ask for more details, some music started to play and a man in a dark green outfit made his way around to the gate which sat at the back of the pen, and as soon as the gate opened and the man smiled at the audience, making eye contact with Arthur, he knew who it was. It was Alfred. Alfred stepped into the alligator’s pen wearing strong brown work-boots that had been stained with years’ worth of mud, dark green shorts and matching shirt with the company logo over the heart, his hair was covered by a brown tattered cowboy hat, and he carried a metal bucket, that made noise with every movement he made. Alfred smiled at Arthur and gave a little wave as the music died down, and once Alfred looked around, Arthur noticed that Alfred had a small microphone hooked over his ear and pointing towards his mouth.

“Sup’ Ladies and Gentlemen, how’re Y’all doing today?!” Alfred announced, his voice booming from the speakers. The Alligator in the water started to stir, sensing Alfred’s intrusion into the pen, probably knowing what time it was. “Oh yeah, she’s sure excited to see me, aren’t cha baby?”

Alfred smiled confidently as the music finally died down and the show began, “My names Alfred, I’ve been workin’ at this here gator park for around four years now! I live for Alligators! So, you can’t imagine how excited I am to be doing the show for you today.”

Arthur couldn’t help but smile, he could see how happy Alfred was just by looking into his eyes…

“Now, if you haven’t read the sign near the pen, this is Patty, she was rescued just outside of Honey Swamp thirteen years ago when she was just a lil gator! Now look at her! She’s just over twelve feet long, and we think she weighs around three-hundred pounds. We say _think,_ cause ain’t nobody gon ask her to get on the scales, _eugh.”_     

Once Alfred lifted the bucket and made some noise with the handle, the alligator reacted, slowly sliding through the water like an ominous ship, with its black eyes set right on Alfred, _“Oh yeah, she knows what time it is!”_

Then, out of the bucket Alfred revealed a shiny piece of raw chicken, and the alligator slowly lumbered out of the water and into Alfred’s direction, “This girl would backflip for chicken, I swear!”

Alfred kept on stepping backwards, encouraging the alligator to completely come out of the water, and a fair distance away from it, until Alfred finally threw the chicken in the air, for the alligator to catch in its mouth before the meat touched the ground.

Arthur had to admit, he was impressed by Alfred’s bravery, and also by his charisma, he walked around the pen like there wasn’t a huge alligator that could kill him in there. The alligator then returned to standing as still as a statue, leaving its mouth wide open, displaying its sharp teeth.

The alligator hissed as Alfred paced around the front, to which Alfred responded, “Hey c’mon, don’t give me that!” Then Arthur held his breath as Alfred leaned into the alligator, before planting a soft but loud kiss on the tip of its snout. “I know you still love me~”

Arthur couldn’t believe how calm Alfred was as he continued to speak about the alligator, whose mouth remained wide open, displaying all of its teeth, and pink tongue. It made Arthur nauseous to look at, and it was only made worse when Alfred placed his hand on top of the alligator’s snout. “Her eyes are on top of her head, so she can’t see through her skull, so she won’t even know that my hand is right here,” The audience, and Arthur gasped in shock as Alfred calmly waved his hand inside the alligator’s mouth, and in between those rows of sharp teeth, if the alligator closed its mouth: Alfred’s hand would be gone!! Alfred looked back at the audience after hearing such a vocal reaction, jokily saying, _“Aren’t I supposed to do that?”_

Alfred heard a woman in the audience gasp, _“Oh my God,”_ so he turned around to look at her and sighed in defeat.

“It’s my first day, mam, they did this on the tutorial! You’ve gotta let me know if I do wrong, kay?” The audience laughed at Alfred’s clear sarcasm as he turned back to the alligator, “She ain’t gonna react unless she feels somethin’.” And with that, Alfred let his fingers touch something near the alligator’s mouth, and its mouth slammed shut with a loud _‘clap’_ which made the entire audience gasp. Alfred looked back at the audience and chuckled, “It’s a great way to get your nails trimmed, it’s called a _Redneck Manicure.”_

Even Arthur laughed loudly at Alfred’s joke, and the smile on Alfred’s face was handsome enough to steal Arthur’s breath away. Arthur was left more awestruck by Alfred than by the alligator, the American looked like he was in his element, he was confident and cool as he talked the audience through the alligator’s biology and behaviours.  

It seemed like Alfred could talk about the alligator forever, and Arthur wouldn’t have minded that, but before he knew it, Alfred was announcing the end of the show and thanking the audience for coming.

“What’d you think of that?” Amy asked as members of the audience started to leave the stand as Alfred escaped through the back gate.

 _“Oh my God,”_ Arthur gasped as he turned to face the young girl, “How is he so fearless around that thing?!”

“He’s been around gators since he was little!” Amy pointed out, “He loves those things like they’re his pets!”

“That, I can definitely tell!” Arthur agreed.

“Well, Alfred should be finished in a few minutes, I’d stick around and wait with you, but I’ve gotta get ready for work! So, I won’t be home ‘til later tonight!” Amy explained as she rose from her seat, “If you stay right here, Al should be out in a few minutes, I’ll let him know you’re sitting’-pretty out here.”

“Ha-ha, thank you, have fun at work!” Arthur replied, waving as Amy left in a hurry, judging by how fast she ran, Arthur was wondering how much time she unnecessarily spent here when she should have been getting ready. God… That girl was just like Alfred. Arthur remembered skyping with Alfred while he was getting ready for work, and the boy would be running around his bedroom trying to find his clothes or his shoes and speaking to Arthur as he did.

Arthur was still processing that he’s been in America for an entire day, one less day to spend getting to know Alfred, and taking advantage of any physical time that they have.

 _Hm…_ Arthur couldn’t help but smile to himself as he pressed his legs together and the thought of how they could take advantage of having physical time together… It wasn’t like they hadn’t spoken about them getting intimate before, they spent entire nights discussing what they wanted to do with each other once they’re together physically. Even a few dirty pictures have been sent between them, as well as dirty promises of nights filled with passion, and Arthur couldn’t wait to see in person what Alfred had offered him…But Arthur supposed that they were both nervous, they have never physically met before, so no amount of online talk could prepare them for the awkwardness. Arthur couldn’t help but wonder how much Alfred was thinking about him in that way…

Just the thought of it made Alfred quiver… He couldn’t pretend that he wasn’t excited for it… Once he and Alfred have the confidence to make their relationship physical, Arthur knew that he was going to take advantage of every second they had together. It’ll take all of Arthur’s willpower to not pounce on him the second he sees him once they get things going between them. Lord knows how long it will be until they will have time together like this once Arthur returns to England…

“Hey there! Out in your own world, are ya?” Alfred asked, shocking Arthur by coming at him from behind and grabbing at his shoulders. “What’d you think of the show!?”

“Oh my God, you did so well” Arthur exclaimed as he stood up, only to be taken into Alfred’s arms for a hug, where he noticed that Alfred had put a red hoodie on over his uniform. “That was so cool! How can you be so comfortable around those things! Oh my God!!”

 _“Ha-ha-ha!”_ Alfred laughed as he confidently wrapped his arm around Arthur’s shoulders as he started to lead him away from Patty’s pen. “Now come on, I’ve got an entire alligator family to introduce you to!”

Arthur tensed a little under Alfred’s arm, whereas the American only held him tighter, _“Oh booooy.”_

\-------

By the time they left the park, Arthur was sure that he smelled like reptiles and dirt. Arthur couldn’t actually believe how long they stayed in the park, Arthur was sure that he had been introduced to every alligator at the park and got an entire synopsis about them and their attitude.

But once again, Arthur saw the way Alfred’s eyes lit up when he spoke about the alligators, they were his spark, what he woke up for in the morning—hell, Arthur wouldn’t be shocked if Alfred thought more about alligators than him. Alfred only allowed them to leave the park after Arthur had seen everything that the park had to offer, so they didn’t end up leaving until the sun went down, which was about an hour after the park closed. Alfred tried to convince his supervisor to let Arthur touch one of the big alligators, but he refused, understandably, but he did say that Alfred and Arthur are allowed to stay for a little bit once the gates closed.

It was… magical.

As the sun set over Louisiana, Alfred and Arthur had the alligator park to themselves, there were no lines to see the biggest beast the park had to offer, and Alfred could tell Arthur more than any sign or brochure could.  

But then… There were also so many moments where Arthur could have kissed him…

Arthur wanted to kick himself when he thought about it during their drive home. Arthur remembered it perfectly, he was standing with his back against the hip-height bamboo fence that served as a barrier to one of the enclosures, Alfred had his hand on Arthur’s shoulder which brought them closer together. There was a moment where they went quiet and stared into each other’s eyes, Arthur thought about it, and could tell that Alfred was thinking it to… Arthur even caught Alfred staring at his lips… Why didn’t it happen there?! Why didn’t either of them take it?! He could imagine that kiss being so romantic!! _Fuck!_  

“Did you have a good time today?” Alfred asked as he started the truck.

“I did, it was nice,” Arthur admitted, before yawning.

“Awww, you must still be a lil jetlagged, yeah?” Alfred cooed, “Are you hungry?”

“I’m still a little full from the burger and chips we had for lunch,” Arthur admitted, “The portion sizes here are ridiculous.”

“Hey, it’s America, what’d you expect?” Alfred replied as he drove the truck away from the alligator park. “I swear, while you’re here: you’re gonna touch a gator.”

“Alfred—”

 _“Nooo,_ you’re not getting out of it!” Alfred promised, “I ain’t letting you fly away until you’ve touched a gator!”

“You’re determined.”

“Sure-as-hell, I am!!” Alfred chirped, “You’re lucky it ain’t hunting season, or I would have taken you with dad and I.”

“And I would have protested to that heavily,” Arthur pointed out. Arthur knew that during hunting season, Alfred and his father take the boat through the swamp and hunt alligators for payments per head, but during the off-season, Alfred’s father relocates alligators that find themselves in situations that brings them too close for comfort with people. Some of the alligators in the gator park were even ones that Alfred and his father caught themselves; usually they’ll release an alligator deeper into the swamp, but if it’s injured itself or someone else, or of a significant size, they’ll hand it over to the park.

Despite the intensity of Arthur’s thoughts about Alfred and his father’s relationship with alligators, Arthur yawned so hard, an entire shiver rocked through his body.

“Aww, you must still be real tired,” Alfred cooed, “How ‘bout I take us home, we can go out for dinner tomorrow night.”

“I like the sound of that,” Arthur muttered as he sunk deeper into the comfortable seat, feeling as though he could fall asleep all over again.

“Amy’s gonna be cheerleading for a football game coming up soon, usually we attend all of the games that Amy performs at as a family, so maybe you can tag along!” Alfred explained cheerfully, “I also wanna show you ‘round the town, introduce you to my friends, _damn,_ I just wanna show you so much!”

“Well, we have a while to do it all,” Arthur replied, smiling at Alfred before breaking into a deep yawn.

“Gonna take another nap, hon?” Alfred chuckled.

“Oh shush, I’ve had a big day,” Arthur grumbled.

“Awww,” Alfred cooed, touching Arthur’s arm once the truck was brought to a stop at a red traffic light. “So, how’d you like sleeping in the living room?”

“Well, the light didn’t bother me too much, and I slept through the noise of everyone in the kitchen. So maybe I could stay there,” Arthur explained.

“But then again, you were jetlagged, you slept like a rock when I woke up this morning,” Alfred admitted, “Do you maybe wanna try sleeping in my room tonight, just to see if you’d prefer it.”

“You just want me in your bed, don’t you?” Arthur chuckled, not expecting to see Alfred smile widely as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

“I wouldn’t mind that,” Alfred muttered, his voice sending heat to Arthur’s cheeks.

“Did anyone see you in bed with me this morning?” Arthur asked.

 _“Haaa…_ I think Mom might’ve,” Alfred chuckled, “When I got up to get ready for work, she was in the kitchen grinnin’ at me and sayin’: _Have a nice sleep?”_

“Ha-hah!” Arthur laughed, surprised by how quick the ride home was, as Alfred was already driving the truck up the driveway.

“Also, we need to figure out what we’re gonna do with your suitcase. I don’t mind making room in my drawers and wardrobe for you,” Alfred explained as he and Arthur left the truck and made their way to the front door.

“I really don’t mind,” Arthur replied as Alfred used his keys to unlock the front door, “I was thinking that I can leave everything in the suitcase and take things out as I use them, I’ve done it before.”

“No, no, no, don’t be silly!” Alfred chuckled as the front door opened, and the couple was immediately greeted by Babs, who was more than happy to see them, _“Hello my little baby girrrrl! Did you miss me?!”_  

The way that Alfred greeted his dog was one of the cutest things that Arthur had ever seen, he watched Alfred change immediately into a baby-voice and say silly things to his precious dog.

“HEY!!” Fred yelled from the kitchen, “You two are just in time for dessert!!”

“Oo yay!” Alfred chirped as he and Arthur made their way into the kitchen, where Alfred’s father and mother were sitting at the dinner table, and Amy was in the kitchen, putting ice cream into three small bowls.

“Do you want some?” Amy asked.

“Yes please! Arthur?” Alfred replied, before looking to Arthur.

“Yes, that would be nice, thank you, Amy,” Arthur replied.

“Oh Lord, I can’t get over that accent of yours!” Amy pointed out as she took out two more small bowls.

“Ha-ha! I do have a bit of an accent, I am from London,” Arthur explained, “You should hear how many accents there are in the UK, the variety is ridiculous.”

“Yeah, it’s the same over here,” Amy pointed out.

“How was the park, Arthur?” Fred asked, gesturing for Alfred and Arthur to join him and Jennifer at the dinner table. “What’d you think of the gators?”

“Oh _God,_ those are some big reptiles,” Arthur grimaced, chuckling as Alfred’s entire family laughed. God… Even their laughter was a family affair, they all had the same loud laugh, and it was nice for Arthur to finally hear it in person.

“I want him to touch one sometime!” Alfred admitted.

“Oh, we can make that happen,” Fred pointed out, “I can take you two around the swamp too if you like.”

“Can Arthur go frog hunting with us!?” Amy asked as she delivered some bowls of ice-cream with chocolate sauce and marshmallows to her parents.

 _“Yes!”_ Alfred hissed happily.

“Frog hunting?” Arthur asked.

“Oh yeah, I’m so gonna teach you how to hunt frogs!” Alfred laughed, “And imagine how many jokes about it we can tell Francis!”

“Francis?” Jennifer asked.

“Another online friend, he’s French,” Alfred explained.

“I call him Frog,” Arthur admitted quietly as Amy placed a bowl of ice cream in front of Arthur, however, when he looked at the dessert, he couldn’t help but notice just how much chocolate sauce and marshmallows Amy has put into his bowl.

“Hah…” Fred laughed as Amy sat down next to Alfred with her bowl of ice cream, it was then that Arthur realised that Fred had noticed how different Arthur’s bowl was compared to the others as well, “Nice to know that Alfred and Amy have the same taste in men.”

 _“DAD!!”_ Amy and Alfred roared, both siblings going pink in the cheeks.

\-------

 _“Hey… Pssst, Arthur, you awake?”_ A voice whispered, which did wake up Arthur when combined with the soft feeling of being tapped lightly on the shoulder.

 _“Mmrr…”_ Arthur grumbled as he rolled over in the soft bed, opening his eyes to see the small amount of light that had managed to sneak in through Alfred’s curtains. In this small amount of light, Arthur could make out Alfred on his knees in front of the bed, smiling at Arthur. “What time is it?”

“8AM,” Alfred chuckled, “But dad’s been called out, there’s a gator that’s a little unwelcome if you know what I mean, we’re gonna go and move it. Wanna come?”

Arthur wanted to say no and go back to sleep, but the look in Alfred’s eyes yearned for Arthur to do otherwise, from behind Alfred’s glasses, Arthur could see the look of hope in his baby-blue eyes. It was endearing, charming and just too cute to resist, it sent Arthur’s heartbeat through the roof, and as much as it pained him; he sighed as he started to pull back the covers, “Alright, let’s go.”

 _“YESS!”_ Alfred hissed with joy as he then ran out of his bedroom, yelling out, “Dad! Wait up! Arthur’s coming too!”

Arthur couldn’t help but chuckle as he heard Alfred run around the house like an oversized child, and so, Arthur was quick to change into his jeans and a t-shirt, before quickly joining Alfred and his father in the kitchen for breakfast.

“Hey, Arthur, if you don’t want to risk ruining your jeans, I suggest you get some shorts on,” Fred pointed out the moment he saw what Arthur was wearing, “We may need you to get a bit muddy.”

“Whoa, dad, he’s not actually gonna help us handle the gator, right?!” Alfred asked, “He’s never even touched one before!”

“Would you want to help us handle the gator, Arthur?” Fred asked.

“I… I, um…” Arthur muttered softly rubbing his arm, “I think I’ll observe.”

“I think that’s best, I don’t want him losin’ an arm!” Alfred pointed out as he walked by Arthur, tapping him on the shoulder as he passed, “I ain’t even letting you near a gator until it’s mouth it taped!”

“Oh _God,”_ Arthur whispered.

“You want some cereal, Arthur?” Alfred asked, showing Arthur a box of cereal.

“Yes, please,” Arthur replied, “So, what exactly is going on?”

“There are a lot of houses that are sat right by the water, and a gator has chosen to settle right in, and children have used that lake and still do, so you can guess why the neighbourhood is a lil’ worried. We’re gonna go catch the gator, put him in the back of the truck and take him to the swamp and let him go.” Fred explained as Alfred handed Arthur a bowl of cereal and a spoon. “So, while it’s early we’ve gotta get down there and see if the gator is gonna say hello.”

“Did they mention how big it is?” Alfred asked.

“It doesn’t sound like a beast, so I don’t think we need to take the boat,” Fred explained, “They said it was around seven feet.”

 _“Seven feet!?”_ Arthur gasped. 

“Hey, were you listening to me yesterday?!” Alfred asked, “Alligators get to an average length of thirteen feet! This thing is _nothing!”_  

“Yeah, one-time Alfie and I handled-a-fourteen and a half footer!” Fred admitted before he and Alfred shared a knowing but loving glance, like it was a moment they were both extremely proud of. Arthur would only wonder what an event that would have been.

Finally, the three men were in the truck, where Arthur was tucked in the back, behind where Alfred was seated, where there was only a couple of cushions for seats and a makeshift seatbelt.

“Are you sure this is ok?” Arthur asked, shuddering when his pillows moved a little from the force of Fred’s driving.

“Yeah, you’re fine! Sheriff said it’ll be fine for little trips!” Fred chuckled before glaring at Alfred, “Amy is usually back there.”

“Well, she’s gotta learn how to call shotgun faster,” Alfred muttered, “You right back there, Arthur?”

“Yeah, it’s still fun,” Arthur admitted, looking out the back window to look at the bed of the truck and see the world pass from behind. Just the landscape still left Arthur in awe, it was so different to everything that Arthur was used to. There was so much _space_ between everything, the roads were wider and the cars bigger, and every tree was so full of lush colour. And about after fifteen minutes, the truck was driving down a street, before the truck was waved down by an older lady who stood in front of a house that looked older than her.

“Howdy, mam!” Alfred chirped after the truck rolled to a stop right next to her.

“Y’all gotta bring the truck out back, the gator is in my backyard!” The lady explained, waving for Fred to drive the truck past the house.

“Oh boy, getting right into it!” Fred chuckled as he started to slowly drive the truck past the house and into the backyard, where Fred parked a few meters away from the edge of a lake. Immediately, Alfred and Fred were out of the truck, and Alfred took Arthur by the hand as he climbed over the front seat and exited the truck.   

“Hey Sandy, so, where’s this gator?” Fred asked as he shook the old lady’s hand.

“It’s right in there, it was at the edge of the water twenty minutes ago,” Sandy explained before she looked to Alfred and Arthur, “Oh Lord, Alfred, how dang long has it been since I last saw you?! How old are you?”

“22,” Alfred responded, before the old lady howled.

“Too old! I feel ancient now!” Sandy exclaimed, as Fred started to look over the water.

“And Sandy, I’d like you to meet Arthur,” Alfred explained as Arthur and Sandy shook hands, “He’s come to visit from England.” For a moment, Arthur glanced at Alfred and prayed that Alfred hadn’t noticed his frown, isn’t he going to mention their relationship…? _“He’s my boyfriend.”_

“Oooooh!” Sandy chirped, _“How’d you meet a British boy?!”_

 _“I SEE IT!”_ Fred yelled, stealing everyone’s attention and everyone moved to the edge of the lake to look out to where Fred was pointing.

“You see it, Arthur?” Alfred whispered as he put his chin on Arthur’s shoulder, and pointed out to the middle of the lake, where Arthur finally saw the ominous long head poking out from under the still water. If Arthur focussed enough, he felt as though he could see it staring right at him…

“Darn, maybe I should’ve brought a boat…” Fred muttered.

“I’ve got my small boat, you can use that,” Sandy pointed out.

“I could swim and hook him with the noose,” Alfred suggested, and just the idea of Alfred getting in the water made Arthur shiver. Perhaps Alfred felt that, because the second Arthur shivered, he could feel Alfred’s hand touch his back.

“Nah son, the water is too deep, I ain’t letting you do that,” Fred replied, before looking to Sandy, “We’d appreciate that boat, though.”

And with that, the small motor boat was brought to the edge of the water, and Alfred, Fred and Arthur hoped in the boat, and with a small push, the boat was sent into the water, and Alfred used a long paddle to guide the boat to where the alligators head had disappeared under the water.

“The lake goes all the way down the street,” Fred pointed out, “This gator would have swum a long way if it got from the swamp to here.”

“Does this sort of thing normally happen?” Arthur asked.

“Every now and then,” Fred replied, “When it floods, I get a call every other day about a gator being too close to houses, onetime a gator even got into someone’s pool!”

“Wow,” Arthur gasped, sitting near the edge of the boat as Alfred and Fred started to scope out the area, both men looking out. Seeing them like this really reinforced with Arthur how much the two looked alike: they were the perfect example of father and son. Especially when Alfred was wearing contact-lenses instead of his usual thick-rimmed glasses. They both had the signature blonde hair, even though Fred’s had darkened with age, but they both had the same glistening blue eyes that darkened with concentration as they overlooked the water.

 _“Dad, dad,”_ Alfred hissed, tapping his fathers shoulder and pointing out into the water, where Arthur could see the head of the alligator poking out of the water close to shore. _“I think this thing might be a lil bigger than seven feet…”_  

“Dammit… You’re right, it’s at least ten…” Fred whispered in a way that sent a shiver down Arthur’s spine. For a second, Arthur saw Alfred glance at him, perhaps he was wondering whether it was still safe for Arthur to be with them, but he quickly returned his focus to the alligator.

“The current it taking us to it,” Fred pointed out, “in a few minutes, we should be right by it, get the rope ready.” Alfred listened to his father and set up the pole with a rope strung through it and a noose at the end.

Suddenly, the gator was under the water, but Arthur could still see the bubbles coming from bellow, meaning that it was still there, probably assuming that the boat was not a threat. Alfred handed the pole to Fred, who motioned for Arthur to get back, and Arthur did, sitting on the edge of the boat.

“He should be right under there,” Alfred cautioned as Fred put the pole and noose under the water. The air was tense and heavy, enough for Arthur to become very nervous, just how big was this alligator? Now Arthur was questioning whether it was a wise idea for him to come.

“GOT IT!” Fred yelled as he and Alfred stood up and took hold of the pole, And Arthur stood too on instinct, and he saw the alligators head lift from the water, and the row of terrifying teeth that stood within it’s massive jaws.

“HOLY SHIT!” Alfred cried out, even laughing as he let Fred handle the pole, and he picked up a roll of tape.

Arthur was about to ask if he could help, but suddenly the rope snapped and the gator hissed as he knocked the boat, sending Arthur off the edge of the boat and into the water.

Instantly, Arthur froze, feeling the freezing water take him over. He opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness, and brown coming from above. Then he remembered that there was a huge alligator in the water, and his adrenaline kicked in, and he returned to the surface and gasped for air.

Before he could even finish screaming, he heard Alfred cry out, _“ARTHUR!”_ Before being followed by another splashing sound.

Arthur screamed and kicked in the water, he could barely even open his eyes, terrified of getting the dirty water in his eyes. Every time he opened his mouth to breathe or to scream, he could taste the awful dirty water, sending him into a panic over his inability to swim. The worst thoughts came to mind, as he struggled to stay afloat, terrified of the alligator taking him underwater and eating him! He was almost paralysed with fear as he screamed when he felt his feet touch something, and then he screamed loudly when something touched him, instantly Arthur thought it was the alligator, until he felt the touch of another person.

 _“Arthur! It’s ok! I got you!”_ Alfred explained loudly, touching Arthur’s face with his hand, keeping Arthur above the water long enough for him to feel comfortable enough to open his eyes, where he could see Alfred looking at him with wide and shocked eyes. Alfred held on tightly to Arthur as he swam back to the edge of the lake, and even when they were in knee-deep water, Arthur and Alfred still clung to each other for dear life.    

 _“Oh God, oh God!!”_ Arthur wheezed, on the brink of tears as Alfred stood up and took Arthur with him, but Arthur could barely stand up from the paralysing fear. But then, Alfred picked up him and carried him to the edge of the lake, where Sandy was standing with towels, praising Jesus that neither of them had been hurt.

Arthur had been scared half to death, and by the looks of things, so was Alfred. Arthur could see the pain in Alfred’s eyes when he saw Arthur shivering from under his towel. Arthur wished that he wasn’t this afraid, but he just couldn’t help it, he was so terrified of the possibility of being attacked.

“Hoooo wow, Alfred would only jump in the water for two things: his dog and his sister,” Fred exclaimed once he returned the boat to the edge of the lake, “Are you alright Arthur?!”

“Just a little shaken!” Arthur admitted, holding himself tightly, before Alfred took him into his arms, hugging him tightly.

 _“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let you stay on the boat, I’m so sorry.”_ Alfred whispered as he squeezed Arthur like he was holding him in the water all over again, and just the thought of it made Arthur tremble a little as he returned Alfred’s hug.

 _“It’s not your fault,”_ Arthur whispered.

Alfred and Arthur then decided to return to the truck, so they can use the blankets, as well as the ones that Sandy provided. Meanwhile Sandy and Fred were standing out by the lack looking at the alligator, probably deciding what to do next. Alfred was the one to sit in the back, and Arthur curled into a ball in the front passenger seat. The truck was very warm on the inside, and the soft and worn fabric of the seat warmed Arthur greatly, it was comfortable enough to sleep in.

But there was something that was keeping him awake, “You jumped in…” He muttered to Alfred, and watched as his expression softened, and he even chuckled a little as he ran his hand through his towel-dried hair, which had even gone a little bit fuzzy.

“Of course, I did…” Alfred muttered, “That gator was real huge and… Just the thought of you bein’ in the water with it terrified me.”

“Mm… I certainly have a new respect for alligators…” Arthur murmured.

“I just… I thought you’d hate me for letting you fall in…” Alfred admitted softly.

“Hate you? No way.”

“Or you’d be scared enough to wanna leave early…” Alfred added, looking away as he blushed softly, but it was enough to break Arthur’s heart.

 _“No…”_ Arthur whispered, reaching from his blanket fortress to reach for Alfred’s hand. “I just got here.”

 _“Heh…”_ Alfred chuckled, tightening his hold on Arthur’s hand. “I just got you here n’ I nearly lost you.”

“It scared the fucking life out of me, that’s for sure,” Arthur chuckled, loving the way Alfred readjusted his hold, threading his fingers with Arthur’s.

“Oh yeah, scared the shit outta me too,” Alfred admitted, “I think I’d only jump in the water that fast if Babs fell in.”

“Ha-ha! Great to know that I’m on par with your dog!” Arthur joked.

“Well, _yeah_ , I love you,” Alfred said, before freezing once he and Arthur made eye contact, both realising that was the first time they had said ‘I love you’ since Arthur arrived. They had said it to each other countless times through message or over video-chat, but hearing it come from his lips in person was enough to make Arthur’s heart melt, he hadn’t expected it to feel so different, even magical.

 _“I love you too…”_ Arthur whispered before the couple fell into silence, and Arthur caught Alfred looking at his lips, before switching to his eyes. It looked like the moment had finally come, and without a word, Alfred and Arthur leaned into each other, closing their eyes only when their lips were inches apart. And _finally,_ their lips met softly, staying flat against each other for only a few seconds before their lips started to move.

Instantly, Arthur’s heart raced as he leaned in further, wanting more of Alfred, his kiss having washed away all of his fear and coldness from the water. All he wanted was Alfred as he felt the Americans hands make it to his hair, encouraging him to come closer as the kiss instantly deepened. It felt so natural and pure, it was meant to happen, and has meant to happen for a long time now… It was the kiss that Arthur would lie awake at night dreaming of when he couldn’t sleep, it was the kiss that he and Alfred had fantasised over in their late-night chats.

Parting for air, Alfred chuckled, _“I’ve been wanting to do that the moment you got off that plane.”_

 _“Well, don’t stop there,”_ Arthur whispered, before grabbing Alfred’s head and going in for more, determined to get his passionate kisses, wanting nothing more than to feel the unrelenting love of his gator boy.


End file.
